# CVE-2026-46283: tpm: Use kfree_sensitive() to free auth session in tpm_dev_release()

> An attacker with local access could potentially recover sensitive cryptographic keys from freed memory due to improper zeroing in the Linux kernel TPM driver.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 8 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 14 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-46283, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-46283, GHSA-c745-g7j9-cpw5, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-46283

## What is CVE-2026-46283?

CVE-2026-46283 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 8 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

tpm: Use kfree_sensitive() to free auth session in tpm_dev_release()

tpm_dev_release() uses plain kfree() to free chip->auth, which contains
sensitive cryptographic material including HMAC session keys, nonces,
and passphrase data (struct tpm2_auth).

Every other code path that frees this structure uses kfree_sensitive()
to zero the memory before releasing it: both tpm2_end_auth_session()
and tpm_buf_check_hmac_response() do so. The tpm_dev_release() path
is the only one that does not, leaving key material in freed slab
memory until it is eventually overwritten.

Use kfree_sensitive() for consistency with the rest of the driver and
to ensure session keys are scrubbed during device teardown.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46283?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-46283?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-46283 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46283 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-46283 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-46283 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 8 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46283 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46283/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46283/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46283
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46283
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-46283

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46283/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.